The Terrorist Treatment
by SkippingThrough
Summary: Alex had a headache, two bruised ribs, an SAS unit, and several spy agencies on his tail. Business as usual. SCORPIA!Alex
1. Prologue

Julia Rothman had it all figured out. She was a highly ranked, successful SCORPIA member and, in addition to that, she was not at fault for having been deceived by John's lulling words and rough voice. Especially not when so many others had held him in high regards as well.

A pair of hands grasped her wrist and she let herself get pulled into the helicopter. Julia sat down heavily and considered thunking her head on the glass before she realized it would seem like too much of a weakness.

She was well aware that there would be consequences for her inability to root out a traitor, especially when it was someone so close to her. Someone she _lov-_

Julia cut the thought off immediately. John Rider was a colleague and perhaps a friend. Anymore than that and she would be given no leeway, despite her status as an invaluable member of SCORPIA.

SCORPIA didn't tolerate weaknesses. And attachment was a weakness.

Julia looked up suddenly and smoothed down the bundle on her lap. Bunches of soft, expensive fabric uncreased easily under her ministrations, and she resolved to do a better job of hiding her nerves.

" _Let's go._ " She ordered coldly in Italian.

The recruit across from her, clearly fresh from Malagosto, tapped the reinforced, bulletproof glass separating the helicopter's passengers from the pilot.

Julia idly calculated the amount of strength it would require to crack the glass. The weakest point would probably be near the latches. Welding metal and glass together incorrectly was a common mistake that she learned to capitalize on.

As she watched, the pilot flicked several levers and the helicopter began its smooth ascent upward. Her stomach clenched with every kilometer the helicopter rose. Julia had never been very fond of heights.

The edge of the ocean was just visible in the distance. As Julia watched as the slice of ocean grew in size. It seemed to overtake the skyscrapers and multi-level apartment buildings that were as common as London tourists. It was strange to imagine that she'd been in London herself, just a few hours previously.

She pet the head of the infant laid out sleepily in her lap and grimaced at the soft smacking sounds that came out of his mouth. If Julia had any luck, he would have inherited John's disposition.

The recruit across from her was eyeing the baby in her lap suspiciously. Julia raised one eyebrow and she went pink around the ears. Definitely new, then.

Julia was aware that SCORPIA would be unhappy with her most recent acquisition, as well as the personal risk she took to get it. But this was worth it. She'd show John exactly what she could do and what she was capable of. First, she'd have to deal with the board.

A quiet sign from Julia almost broke the heavy silence of the helicopter.

As long as she could guarantee her own survival, revenge could wait a few years. At least, until little Alex Rothman grew up.

Hey look what I did! I finally wrote something. Feel free to leave and review and give me your thoughts


	2. Chapter 1

**July 7th, 8:49PM. Italy.**

As far as bullet wounds went, this one wasn't too terrible, Alex reflected. The sound of his pounding footsteps filled the otherwise silent air and he tried not to notice the tension in the still air around him.

 _Come on out, morons. Hiding now won't make this any easier on either of us._ Despite his annoyance, Alex wisely kept his mouth shut. The thought of what these people would do to him if he was caught wasn't nearly worth the relief of breaking the anticipation around him with a wisecrack.

Then again, they seemed to have orders not to shoot to kill - or else they simply knew how valuable he was. Alex supposed word got around when a teenage SCORPIA agent was able to successfully infiltrate as many places as he had, and get out alive. He could boast to having the highest success rate of any other teenager out there out there.

Though, to be fair to other kids his age of the world, there wasn't exactly a wealth of teen terrorists working for internationally acclaimed terrorist organizations.

Alex swiftly rounded a corner and ducked as another short spray of bullets shot into the wall next to his already injured upper arm.

It was bleeding heavily, though sluggishly, for which Alex was thankful, because he would never live it down if he returned to his mother in a hospital stretcher on the edge of death. Knowing her, he'd simply end up with a more rigorous training regime to fix any holes the other one may have left behind (no pun intended).

Alex turned left and jumped over an expensive looking leather couch. He studiously ignored the two men who were in danger of crashing to the ground, slumped over at the dinner table as they were. Both had fresh bullet holes in their heads and blood specked the fronts of their suits.

As it was, Alex expected there would still be a lot of supplementary training his his future. _Painful_ training. He huffed an unhappy sigh and finally pulled his second gun out of its holster.

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 **July 7th, 9:25PM. Luxembourg.**

"A toast, everyone. To another successful year at the top, courtesy of SCORPIA and our lovely Mrs Julia Rothman," The announceer, a stately older woman with white hair that contrasted sharply against her dark skin, gave a devilish smile to the people at the table.

She was surrounded by top executives and close company advisers. These were all close friends of hers; people she had known for decades during her rise to her current position as CEO. Every now and then, sprinkled in among the guests, she could spot an assassin or a terrorist, identified as such by their dark silver SCORPIA pins. The CEO smiled wider.

 _Company loyalty really doesn't change, does it?_

Near the head of the table sat Julia Rothman, resplendent in a deep red gown that contrasted with her dark hair. Her pin gleamed brightly in the light of the chandeliers and she had a wry smile on her face.

"I'd much rather toast you for the many employment opportunities you've offered to SCORPIA. Really, we're always glad to help whenever a problem arises in need of fixing," Julia uttered smoothly. The other SCORPIA employees in the room, all clearly under her leadership, offfered subtle accompanying gestures of agreement.

"Well, I'm glad we're in agreement then, Mrs. Rothman," The CEO stated. "And I'm sure you will find plenty of opportunities in the future to further expand your company's repertoire with us. Cheers, everyone!"

The sound of clinking glasses filled the air and the people gathered around the table resumed their small talk. Julia took a few sips of her wine before excusing herself from the table.

 _Clang._ A senior vice president of the company slammed his fork down and took hold of his throat. His glasses slid down his nose as he slumped in his chair, choking.

 _Crack._ A young adviser who had quickly drained her wine glass collapsed onto the floor. Her nose had broken upon impact and a puddle of blood was steadily growing around her. People at the dinner table began falling like flies. A member of the wait staff went down with a harsh clang as his platter slipped from his hands.

A small fire had started near the other end of the table. Someone must have upended a candle as they were falling.

Out on the balcony over looking the stairs, Julia Rothman quickly drained her own wine glass. She dropped it carelessly onto the floor and crushed the rest with the heel of her shoe.

"Cheers," She whispered.

Her lithe form slipped to the waiting car outside of the mansion's front gate and melted into the darkness. The car sped away discreetly, already almost covered by the smoke emitting from the eastern half of the mansion.

Situated at the top of the wrought iron gate, a bite size camera about the length of a child's pinkie finger continued recording.

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 **Author's note:** Man am I bad at writing anything over 500 words. Expect short chapters, but I will try to update more frequently. Sorry about the wait and many many thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! Also, congrats to the reviewer who thought ahead and figured out that things about his parents :^D


	3. Chapter 2

**July 9, 8:12AM. USA.**

Alex stared at the wall slightly to the left of his mother's head.

" -did I say about reckless stunts? I know you have a talent for those, courtesy of your father I imagine, but... Alex!" Julia finally snapped. Her tolerance for his disregard was getting dangerously low.

 _Spy, son, and teenage boy. Why is it so difficult to account for all three at the same time?_ Julia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, irked.

"Yes?"

Alex ignored the mention of his father. Any questions about him always left his mother sad-eyed and a strange mixture of wistful, angry, and regretful. John Rider was a known traitor to SCORPIA, and he was dead. That's all there was to it, as far as Alex was concerned.

He snapped his eyes back to her face and determinedly didn't let a hint of his inattention show on his face. His poker face couldn't, and likely never would, rival his mother's but it wasn't entirely terrible.

Julia stared at the bandages visible beneath his long-sleeved shirt. Her eyes drifted up to the bruise on his cheekbone and she sighed in impatience.

"You aren't a child, Alex. Don't start acting like one now,"

Alex nodded in acknowledgement and bit down on the urge to respond with something snappy.

Right now, he was an asset who had almost killed himself on a simple mission, for the third time in a row. He had come very close to jeopardizing SCORPIA's reputation and there were consequences for that. His mother was treating him as such.

Later, Alex knew she would sit down next to him on the couch and run her fingers over the bruise on his cheek and give him a good night kiss on the forehead. A perplexing ritual for someone as cold as Julia Rothman normally was, but a comforting one nonetheless. Though she was a woman with few motherly instincts, she was still his parent.

Until then, he would have to take his punishment without complaint.

"You'll be taking a break from missions for a while. Expect to stay at a designated safe house while I deal for business elsewhere for a short time. Then, you'll be sent back to Mologosto for a few more lessons."

Alex frowned and nodded. _I guess that means I'll be training with some of the students. It could be worse._

Julia dismissed him from her office and Alex stumbled a little upon exiting. Outside of the stifling atmosphere of the meeting, it seemed like a completely different world. SCORPIA agents and regular office workers completed their duties side by side, though still secretively, as this base of operations was a series of high-rise office buildings in the middle of a large city.

Its proximity to several large docks and chains of suppliers made it worth putting up with the regular civilians, though if anyone asked Julia, she would claim otherwise. Alex dodged to the left as a flurry of people in suits, some of which he could visually identify as having seen in SCORPIA labs or meetings, rushed past him and dispersed to find their respective destinations.

A few gave him strange looks, but he went mostly ignored. _The benefits of being a teenager,_ Alex groused.

He slipped into the already full elevator and felt a hand splay across his lower back. _Nile._ Alex stifled his grin. His mother's second hand was an intimidating man; his height made him easy to find in any crowded room and vitilogo didn't help.

He could feel Nile making subtle hands signs across his back and tapping out a message. He concentrated.

 _Meeting. Boss. Leave._ _How did the meeting go?,_ Alex translated. _Of course he'd be curious._

Alex lifted his hand to scratch the back of his head. _Bad. Trouble._

The elevator doors opened with a soft ding and the crowd began rushing out anew. Nile nudged his side twice. _Talk later._

Alex watched the workers leave before descending one more level. He stopped to chat with the man sitting at the reception desk, a sweet older civilian with two adult kids who was planning on retiring soon.

After a few minutes, the receptionist alerted Alex that he had a car waiting for him. Alex wished him a happy retirement and headed out. There was a long car ride ahead of him to the airport, and later, a plane to a safe house somewhere. He would have a lot of time to think.

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 **Author's note:** Hey all! Sorry the action and plot hasn't really started yet. There should be some of that next chapter. I hope you're all enjoying this fic. Thank you for any reviews, follows, and faves I've received so far. They really do brighten up my dad and give me inspiration to write :^)

Drop a review and let me know what you think of my characterization and pacing or whatever caught your eye. Critiques and spur of the moment thoughts are always welcome.


	4. Chapter 3

**July 9, 7:36PM. Italy.**

Malagosto was not an intimidating place. Even though it housed countless terrorists in training behind it's pristine white walls, the island most closely resembled an abandoned resort. The sparkling waters and long grass concealed any sinister activities that occurred there. The few buildings on the island housed a world of luxury and danger within.

It was the perfect spot for the world's only school of murder. If he didn't know its history or current uses, Alex would have said Malagosto seemed disarmingly pleasant, and even relaxing.

Alex passed the shooting range, which was located a short ways away from the rest of the buildings, and was immediately reminded of his own brutal training schedule from the short time he attended Malagosto. He took a deep breath as he quickly approached the main offices. He could still hear the faint gunshots from the range.

A SCORPIA guard stationed next to the doors nodded to him as he entered.

Alex scanned the room. There was a woman dressed in Malogosto's variation of dull, SCORPIA-issued garb waiting for him a set of double-doors.

" _Mr. D'Arc is ready for you, Mr. Rothman_ ," she said in Italian.

 _Of course he would be_ , Alex just stopped himself from articulating the thought aloud. The sentiment must have shown up on his face, because the woman seemed amused when she turned away from him. Alex let himself be lead to D'Arc's office.

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 **July 11, 3:43AM. England.**

London was a busy city at the best of times. The zooming buses, packs of tourists, and overall nightlife in some parts of the city meant some places stayed open from dawn to dusk.

A drab, grey high-rise building housing a bank was no-one's first choice of places to spend the night. Yet, above the entrance and consultation rooms that took up the first several floors, the walls were practically vibrating with the pent up energy of milling MI6 agents.

"See that? It's her! We've already run the facial scans and they matched up. I told you the cameras don't lie!"

Ian Rider ran his hand through his fair hair. He had been stuck listening to this argument for nearly an hour. As dedicated as he was to his job, it was high-time for him to go home already.

"There _have_ been a few reports from our sources that Rothman's still running around. Hell, I heard she took part in an assassination in Italy about half a week ago," The second agent said thoughtfully. Her previous dubious expression melted away in the face of her curiosity and she peered at the computer the three of them had clustered around.

"That can't be right. The video was taken four days ago. Rothman was in Luxembourg at the time of the assassination. She couldn't have pulled both off at the same time unless she had a proxy," The first agent gestured to the time-stamp on the corner of the video. Ian clenched his fists beneath the desk.

 _If I have to go through another hour of listening to these two argue, I'm downloading the video and leaving._

Technically, he wasn't supposed to be aware that this video existed, let alone be taking part in a conversation theorizing where Julia Rothman was and what she was doing. Ian was sure that if he were to let John or Helen know that they finally had intel proving Rothman was alive and kicking, or plotting, as the case may be, there would be hell to pay.

Possibly from Blunt for giving away such classified information. Or from John and Helen, for keeping this type of intel in the first place.

 _But something that hits this close to home has to be investigated_ , Ian reasoned.

 _I need to figure find out the details before letting them know. They deserve to have the full story._

Ian grimaced at the idea that he would have to tell his brother. And Helen...

Helen had a notorious temper and was quick with her tongue lashings. John's almost-death and the subsequent kidnapping of their son that followed, as well as the eventual revelation of exactly how in-depth John and Ian's government jobs were, still haunted the family. Helen and John's marriage was very strained for a few months and Ian remembered the sleepless nights John spent drinking his sorrows away and crying to Ian about his fears.

To this day, Alex was something of a taboo subject in the Rider household. Ian knew Helen and John hadn't so much as thought of having any more kids until they could put their own demons about Alex to rest.

 _That kidnapping broke something in both of them._

Ian was startled back into the present with the sound of shredding papers.

"Reports from the plant said they heard someone audibly confirm that Rothman was set to do the assassination," The female agent snapped. Clearly, the late hour was getting to all of them.

"Well, they was wrong. Consider that," The retort flew out of the other agent's mouth with unparalleled viciousness.

Ian Rider snapped his fingers and the two younger and less experienced agents turned to look at him. He tried to convey his disapproval and hoped that it would be more visible than his exhaustion. Their shared animosity quickly dispelled into an air of sheepishness, and they split apart.

"Alright," Ian sighed. "Lets review the footage one more time,"

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 **July 11, 3:43AM. England.**

Several hundred feet below Ian Rider, Alan Blunt was holed up in his own drab, grey office. The methodical ticking of a clock in the corner of the room let him know that it was far too late for him to still be awake, as even he was entirely aware of the late hour.

Blunt stifled a yawn. His attention was focused solely on a single video that had been playing on repeat on his laptop. Another laptop held a facial scan that showed the similarities between the woman caught fleeing into an expensive getaway car and Julia Rothman.

The video had been recovered remotely several hours ago, but Alan Blunt was a busy man, and he had only just gotten the chance to view it.

Blunt adjusted his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. He had been leaning forward in a futile attempt to catch a glimpse of any more details agents that had previously recovered, decoded, and viewed the video may have missed.

He stifled another yawn and speed-dialed a familiar number.

"Yes?" The deputy head of MI6 responded automatically. Blunt could hear the exhaustion in her voice. It was likely as obvious as his.

"Mrs. Jones, please call John Rider in for me. Tell him we need him for a consultation,"


	5. Chapter 4

**July 9, 7:40PM. Italy.**

Oliver D'Arc's teeth glowed brightly in the artificial light of the office. Alex repressed a wince upon catching sight of their reflection in the glass in D'Arc's hand.

"I'd like to apologize about the last minute change of plans," D'Arc began in almost unaccented English. He smacked his lips together like he'd just had a sip of something extremely sweet, though Alex was willing to bet whatever was in that glass wasn't actually sweet or alchoholic.

"I understand you must have been ruffled after learning the plane was departing to Malagosto immediately, rather than the safe house Ms. Rothman had said you'd be staying in."

Alex murmured some vague sort of agreement to D'Arcs words, but otherwise maintained a stony silence as D'Arc gathered his bearings to continue speaking.

"That was entirely my fault. I needed to deliver this to you. It has some very important information pertaining to Ms. Rothman's investments, which can only be handled by somebody she and I both trust," He tilted his head and raised his eyebrows meaningfully and Alex nearly rolled his eyes.

 _You couldn't have had someone inform either my mother or me prior to the flight?,_ He snarked mentally.

"Nile is set to arrive at the safe house a few days after you. He's been instructed to bring the microchip directly to Ms. Rothman."

"I understand the need for secrecy and I'll be sure this information gets to my mother," Alex assured as he carefully hid the microchip D'Arc had handed him in the inner lining of his jacket.

"You're an intelligent young man, Mr. Rothman. I'm sure this will be a learning experience for you," D'Arc continued. His casual reminder of Alex's punishment grated on Alex, but before he could say anything else, the phone rang.

D'Arc's eyes widened and he answered hurriedly. Whatever was said on the other line made his mouth curl down in annoyance. He hurriedly left the office with a quick gesture for Alex to wait until one of the guards came back for him.

Alex looked around the room. The large desk occupying the middle had a few neatly placed files, none of which had anything particularly confidential or important in them, Alex was sure. His eyes caught the gleam of something dark. He eyed the flash drive left lying near a small stack of files on top of the cabinets behind D'Arc's main desk.

 _SCORPIA members never do anything without reason, but why wouldn't he mention this?,_ Alex considered.

The flash drive was sitting precariously close to the edge. Anyone could have spotted it upon entering the office, and if D'Arc had wanted him to leave, he would have been told to wait outside. Instead, he had deliberately been left alone.

 _Why did he let me stay in here? To explore? To find the drive? There's no possibility of the room being bugged. Security is too tight and there are too many complicated alert systems in place._

Alex sighed quietly and carefully swiped the flash drive.

 _Maybe my mother's paranoia is getting to me?_

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 **July 9, 9:00PM. Italy.**

On he plane, Alex inserted the flash drive into his laptop. It was a top-of-the-line model, coded and secured by some of SCORPIA's best for working on-the-go. His mother had shared a smile with him when he had unwrapped it the morning of his fourteenth birthday and called it an investment.

He opened up the only file on the flash drive. It loaded slowly. Half of the computer screen was still completely black from attempting to process it.

The darkness seceded and Alex could now make out the name at the top, which was typed in large, blocky letters: John Rider. Below that was a photo of a muscular, blonde man with a weathered looking face. He was talking to somebody over the phone, in a hotel room.

The photograph was dated as having been taken three days ago. Alex could see a Lithuanian news report playing on the television in the background. He suspended his disbelief and zoomed in. Then, he found the same report online. A matching article summarizing the report had been uploaded two days ago. Alex read through it with unseeing eyes.

He leaned back in his seat and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. All coherent thoughts had left his head but one:

 _What the hell is D'Arc playing at?_


	6. Chapter 5

Alex immediately stumbled out of his seat and into the surprisingly spacious plane bathroom, pale faced and sweating.

 _What does this mean for me?_ was something he'd attempted to fully figure out a while ago, but any attempts to rationalize had long since gone out of the window.

John Rider was alive. There was irrevocable proof of that. Alex had gone on a mad search through the coding of the drive and looked into the photograph. If it was a fake, and that was a very tenuous if, then Alex would personally track down and shake the hand of the person who made it before shooting them in the face.

Alex leaned against the counter and scrubbed his hands down his face.

 _I can't exactly ask my mother about this, can I?_ Alex huffed.

His best source of information, his mother, was a guaranteed source of information, but would be unlikely to willingly speak about Alex's father.

 _Shit. Niles!_ Alex squeezed his eyes shut as his rapidly forming headache threatened to impair him. _Niles is set to arrive with the second flash drive in a few days._

Alex tried to postpone the panic that was swiftly descending upon him.

 _Think. Be rational...be like your mom._

He took a few deep, shaky breaths and began brainstorming.

Nile was firmly on his mother's side, and even though he may be sympathetic to Alex's plight, he would also do his duty as Julia Rothman's right hand man and report any suspicious questions, which included anything Alex asked about his father. Alex had never had any reason to be interested in his father's identity before. To start now would raise too much suspicion.

D'Arc's sneaky and underhanded maneuvers would have to be dealt with later, but that same sneakiness also made it obvious he didn't want Alex to approach him outright, Alex reasoned. Also, Alex couldn't find it in him to trust D'Arc's motives, or much else about him.

Beyond that, asking any of the board members would be suicide, and while there were certainly people around SCORPIA who would be familiar with his father, that would be a very high price to pay and a very big gamble to take, especially if he misjudged the connection.

 _There may be one person I can talk to... but how do I get into contact with him?_

Alex frowned thoughtfully as he wandered back to his seat.

How the hell was he supposed to get into contact with the ever elusive Yassen Gregorovich, whom his mother had done her damnedest to keep Alex away from him in his formative years, despite her own dealings with the assassin?

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 **author's note:** idk man, how _is_ he gong to get in touch with yassen? Also yay! yassen is finally in the picture! it only took us like 5? 6? (i lost track) chapters. like always, reviews make me happy so please review :D


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